Saturday, April 22
Chapel Hill, N.C.
2:00 P.M.
Wake Forest University
3
vs
4
#12 Duke
Deacs Memorable ACC Championship Run Ends in Nail-Biter
4/22/2023 7:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Senior Melios Efstathiou notched his fifth-straight dual singles win.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The sixth-seeded and 20th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team fell to second-seeded and 12th-ranked Duke, 4-3, in the semifinals of the 2023 ACC Championships Saturday evening at the Cone-Kenfield Indoor Courts in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Wake Forest (25-11, 7-5 ACC) reached the semifinals of the ACC Championships for the seventh time in the past eight seasons after consecutive wins over Virginia Tech and NC State Thursday and Friday.
Saturday against the Blue Devils (20-5, 11-1 ACC), the Demon Deacons took the doubles point for the fifth-consecutive match behind wins in first and second doubles. Of note, Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson notched a 6-3 win over No. 21 Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas in first doubles.
Duke quickly responded in singles, taking wins in the second, third and sixth slots to take a 3-1 lead. Wake Forest bounced back to even the ledger, 3-3, with victories in first and fourth singles, before ultimately falling in fifth singles.
With a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 win in first singles, No. 5 Melios Efstathiou notched his fifth-straight dual singles win.
How It Happened
Singles Results
1. #5 Melios Efstathiou (WFU) def. #13 Garrett Johns (DU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
2. #72 Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Filippo Moroni (WFU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Andrew Zhang (DU) def. #98 Jurabek Karimov (WFU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Matthew Thomson (WFU) def. Connor Krug (DU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Andrew Dale (DU) def. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
6. Jake Krug (DU) def. Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles Results
1. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) def. #21 Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) 6-3
2. #70 Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Connor Krug/Teddy Truwit (DU) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Faris Khan/Niroop Vallabhaneni (DU) def. Melios Efstathiou/Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) 6-2
From Coach Bresky
"This was a really tough loss. Congrats to Duke. They played well and it was a great match overall. We had a great start, taking the doubles point. We then lost all six first sets to start singles but we fought back. There's no team that fights harder than this group. We're excited to bounce back after learning our NCAA Tournament fate." - Head coach Tony Bresky
Up Next
Wake Forest will now await its postseason destiny. The NCAA men's tennis selection show airs on May 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Wake Forest (25-11, 7-5 ACC) reached the semifinals of the ACC Championships for the seventh time in the past eight seasons after consecutive wins over Virginia Tech and NC State Thursday and Friday.
Saturday against the Blue Devils (20-5, 11-1 ACC), the Demon Deacons took the doubles point for the fifth-consecutive match behind wins in first and second doubles. Of note, Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson notched a 6-3 win over No. 21 Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas in first doubles.
Duke quickly responded in singles, taking wins in the second, third and sixth slots to take a 3-1 lead. Wake Forest bounced back to even the ledger, 3-3, with victories in first and fourth singles, before ultimately falling in fifth singles.
With a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 win in first singles, No. 5 Melios Efstathiou notched his fifth-straight dual singles win.
How It Happened
- Wake Forest got off to a strong start in doubles, taking an early lead in the first and second slots.
- Duke struck first winning third doubles, 6-2.
- The Deacs quickly bounced back as Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson downed No. 21 Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas, 6-3.
- Wake Forest then clinched the doubles point as No. 70 Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi defeated Connor Krug/Teddy Truwit in second doubles.
- The Demon Deacons took a 1-0 lead into singles play for the fourth-consecutive match.
- Duke bounced back in singles, quickly taking court two, evening the score at one.
- The Blue Devils then notched consecutive victories in third and sixth singles to take a 3-1 lead.
- Andrew Zhang defeated No. 98 Jurabek Karimov 6-4, 6-4.
- Jake Krug knocked off Juan Lopez de Azcona 7-5, 6-3.
- Wake Forest then responded as Matthew Thomson came out victorious in a three-set battle with Connor Krug.
- Thomson won 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
- The Demon Deacons tied the contest at three as No. 5 Melios Efstathiou defeated No. 13 Garrett Johns 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in first singles.
- Duke clinched the victory with a win in fifth singles to advance to the ACC Championship match.
Singles Results
1. #5 Melios Efstathiou (WFU) def. #13 Garrett Johns (DU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
2. #72 Pedro Rodenas (DU) def. Filippo Moroni (WFU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Andrew Zhang (DU) def. #98 Jurabek Karimov (WFU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Matthew Thomson (WFU) def. Connor Krug (DU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Andrew Dale (DU) def. Luciano Tacchi (WFU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
6. Jake Krug (DU) def. Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles Results
1. Filippo Moroni/Matthew Thomson (WFU) def. #21 Garrett Johns/Pedro Rodenas (DU) 6-3
2. #70 Jurabek Karimov/Luciano Tacchi (WFU) def. Connor Krug/Teddy Truwit (DU) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Faris Khan/Niroop Vallabhaneni (DU) def. Melios Efstathiou/Juan Lopez de Azcona (WFU) 6-2
From Coach Bresky
"This was a really tough loss. Congrats to Duke. They played well and it was a great match overall. We had a great start, taking the doubles point. We then lost all six first sets to start singles but we fought back. There's no team that fights harder than this group. We're excited to bounce back after learning our NCAA Tournament fate." - Head coach Tony Bresky
Up Next
Wake Forest will now await its postseason destiny. The NCAA men's tennis selection show airs on May 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Football Media Availability (10/29/25)
Wednesday, October 29
Football Media Availability (10/28/25)
Wednesday, October 29
Wake Forest Football vs SMU | Cinematic Recap
Wednesday, October 29
Wake Forest Head Football Coach Jake Dickert Weekly Press Conference (10/27/2025)
Monday, October 27